Four Surprising Effects of Sleep Deprivation

Some say that sleep is for the lazy and most people stay up until late in the night for many reasons. But are you aware that if you don’t get sufficient sleep they many aspects of your life like mental sharpness, emotional balance, productivity, physical vitality, weight, and creativity will be affected? When you are sleeping, your body and brain don’t entirely shut down. When resting, your mind stays awake managing a wide range of biological issues to keep your body running in good condition for the next day.

Health experts recommend that adults should get between seven to nine hours of sleep every day. Teens and children require even more sleep because they are growing. While it might seem like getting insufficient sleep isn’t such a big deal, sleep deprivation has many adverse effects. The following are the surprising effects of sleep deprivation.

Surprising effects of lack of sleep

1. Obesity

If you don’t get sufficient sleep, then the chances are that you will gain weight rapidly. Research shows that insufficient sleep is the primary cause of hunger and an increase in appetite. So if you don’t get enough sleep, you will become overweight. Researchers have coined a theory that those who don’t understand sufficient rest end up eating more calories to compensate for those that they spend as they burn the midnight oil. And that is not all. Not getting enough sleep will also affect brain function negatively. Furthermore, sleep deprivation also stimulates the production of hormones that increase appetite.

2. Memory loss

Getting sufficient sleep is one of the many ways to boost brain function and retention of information. It’s true that as you grow older lack of sleep prevents our brains from saving the vital information that we come across throughout the day. Thus it’s true that lack of sleep is among the many causes of memory loss as well as brain deprivation. When you are sleeping your brain produces vital waves that are linked to storing of memories. The waves are responsible for the transfer of the information from a region of the brain known as hippocampus to another area known as the prefrontal cortex.

3. Aged skin

Lack of sleep will make your skin to age quickly according to a recent study. If you get sufficient sleep, then your skin will get enough time to repair itself soon so that it looks attractive and glows. On the flipside, not getting enough sleep is known to fasten the process of aging. Thus those who don’t understand adequate rest don’t have an attractive and glowing skin. Why? Poor sleep prevents the secretion of a hormone by the name melatonin that increases the acceleration of aging.

4. Health complication

Sleep deprivation is overlooked yet it can cause life-threatening health problems. It’s true that health problems can drain your insurance cover as well as bank account. You might be surprised to find out that sleep deprivation will significantly affect your overall health, performance as well as safety. There is a study that shows that over ninety percent of those who don’t get sufficient sleep have a very high chance of developing health complications.